What happened
Southwest Airlines has started its rollout of free Starlink Wi-Fi for Rapid Rewards members, marking a significant upgrade to its inflight connectivity product. The first Starlink-equipped aircraft (registration N8543Z) is now in service. The airline plans to install Starlink on more than 300 Boeing 737s by the end of 2026, with an expectation that nearly the entire fleet will have the service by the end of 2027. This follows Southwest's introduction of free Wi-Fi for all Rapid Rewards members in October 2025, though the previous Viasat-based system was often considered underwhelming compared to competitors. The article notes that Southwest is currently second in the "big four" US carriers for Starlink rollout, behind United (which has 400+ planes and aims for 1,000 by end of 2026) and ahead of American (planning early 2027 rollout on 500 planes) and Delta